Students at California Lutheran University should be utilizing the gym for a multitude of reasons, extending far beyond their physical health. I believe one of the biggest hesitations many students have with approaching any fitness and physical activity in a gym setting is due to unfair and dated perspectives towards gym culture, and a limited understanding of the benefits a gym can provide.
โSometimes it just takes us back and allows us a moment to just forget everything that weโre going through, just be in the moment and relax,โ senior Ryan Hardy said.ย
Right now, lifting weights has had somewhat of a rebirth through social media and proactive efforts made by many younger adults. Since 2010, Statista reports that gym attendance of men and women has gone from 18.5% to 23.4%.ย
However, I still find that many students continuously feel too intimidated and threatened by dated stereotypes towards the gym.
I held these views at a point in time as well. I originally began my journey in gym environments through boxing, and I eventually found myself beginning to enjoy strength training more than any padwork or sparring. I even became a friendly face around that gym and began to feel a level of invitation and acceptance I never thought Iโd have in such a setting.ย
This all came to a screeching halt during the pandemic, a roadblock in self-care that Iโm certain many students can relate to. I gained almost seventy pounds, fell deeply into addiction, and was still only dabbling in weightlifting. I still enjoyed it, but I struggled to continue a drive for healthy living within myself when training was left up to a home gym and some cheap dumbbells.
By the time gyms had begun reopening, I was horrified. I constantly kept to myself, I was covering up in large hoodies and sweatpants, and my addictionโs grip on my life was the only part of me getting any stronger.ย
Thankfully, I received much-needed help and loving support from a best friend who was also pursuing sobriety. I eventually got clean and sober, but still struggled to find an outlet for any urges, and felt out of place within myself. It was at this moment that working out became an absolute necessity in my life, especially as a college student.ย
โThere have been so many studies that show that staying physically fit and active influences your health, but also your mental health,โ sophomore Abby Blom said. โWhen there are so many things to balance, and youโre sitting for so long, trying to figure out relationships and school, itโs a good way to have something in your life that you can stay consistent with.โย
The mental benefits for students in the gym may seem obvious on a surface level, but actually pursuing it individually and proactively really allows these benefits to become clear.
โSometimes our barriers are not the things in front of us, theyโre the things internally,โ Hardy said. โGoing to the gym allows us to move those barriers out of the way physically, to where we can touch them, in a way.โย
I found myself going to the gym on a daily basis in quick succession through the early stages of sobriety and found camaraderie amongst peers within gym settings. I never treated the gym as a social gathering by any means, but I was amazed to be treated with the same respect as anybody else in such a vulnerable and physically exposing environment.
I was a socially terrified, overweight, and LGBTQ+ man entering an environment that I was convinced would scrutinize me to no end. To my surprise, the gym actually became a treasure in my life, and building a routine that consisted of hard work created a pride within myself that was unmatched by any substance in sight.ย
Unfortunately, my perspectives on gymgoers had simply been tainted through the lens of social media and unfair stereotyping. I assumed anyone stronger than me would look down on my progress, and anyone thinner than me would judge me. I could not be more grateful to report that fear being further from the truth.ย
What I had to learn, and what many people with insecurities similar to my own must accept, is that these perceptions are purely self-projected with little to no basis in reality. This is a fairly frequent fear and misconception amongst newcomers to any fitness environment, especially at a young age.ย
โLots of times, the first thing people see is the physical attributes,โ Hardy said. โThe aspects they donโt see about me is the fact I do music, I do a lot of creative things. I do find myself being categorized sometimes, and I think itโs still very prevalent.โย
Blom said her first exposure to strength training in the gym was through a class in high school and that she had prior experience with fitness only through soccer.ย
โI think I even cried after my first class, I was so nervous,โ Blom said. โOnce you break through the initial fear, youโll really see that itโs such a great community to be a part of, I definitely recommend it for anybody.โย
Soon enough, I had lost the weight I put on, and began building strength back up. It was all performed healthily, naturally, through patience and routine. This can be an incredibly frustrating and patience-testing process for an addict, as our brains can become so easily wired for instant gratification.
However, I began caring less about the numbers, less about any scales, and purely focused on the enjoyment of being active. Sure enough, that switch in my thinking propelled me to make the most progress I ever could.ย
I cannot urge my fellow students to go to Cal Lutheranโs gym enough. The immense benefits will forever outweigh any anxieties, insecurities, and misconceptions that precede actually going.
At Cal Lutheran, we have a gym completely freely at our disposal, an absolute rarity and privilege in life. I strongly believe the best advice I can provide to students about embarking on their own fitness journey is to act now and think later. The more we perseverate on our hesitations, the longer it will take to act.
